Next week House of Sparky will begin our "ASU Moment of the Year" tournament, with the 16 best moments from the athletic season. This week we will randomly introduce all 16 moments, then reveal our seedings and match-ups next week, where you, the reader, will vote on what was the ASU athletics Moment of the Year.
For years now, the Arizona State lacrosse team has been a powerhouse in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA).
In the last four seasons before the 2014 campaign, the team had made it to four consecutive final fours and had made it to the finals twice.
However, what the lacrosse team did in 2014 was unprecedented. The Sun Devils finished the regular season with a perfect 14-0 record.
They then swept through the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference Tournament and received the No. 1 overall seed going into the MCLA tournament.
With nine seniors on the team, and head coach Chris Malone announcing that he would be taking another job at the end of the season, everything was set in place for them to cap off their careers as champions.
In the first round of the tournament, Arizona State blew out Indiana 18-5. The following round was more difficult, but they found a way to outlast Boston College and win 8-7. This crucial win gave the Sun Devils their fifth consecutive appearance in the final four.
The Sun Devils faced off against SLC rival Chapman in the semi finals. It was the third meeting between both teams during the season. And for the third time, Arizona State was victorious as they won 10-5.
This set up a show down between Arizona State and Colorado in the finals. With a perfect 18-0 record, all that stood between Arizona State and perfection was an extremely talented Colorado team.
Arizona State won the first match up between both teams in the regular season 8-6. However, Colorado would end up getting the upper hand in the finals as they were able to narrowly hold on to a 13-12 win.
Despite not being able to win the national title, it was still without a doubt the best season in school history.
Dan Davis, Zack Handy, Logan Quinn and Ian Connell were named first-team All-Americans, and Quinn was named the 2014 MCLA player of the year. Malone was named the 2014 MCLA coach of the year, and ended his career as the greatest lacrosse coach in school history.